Gas bottle carrying rack for trailers



May 23, 1951 H. w. NORRIS GAS BOTTLE CARRYING RACK FOR TRAILERS FiledJune 7, 1960 T l I F 1| INVENTOR. U j flora/d W Afar/"As BY A Q 1 flv 17 TOR/V5)? United States Patent GAS BOTTLE CARRYING RACK FOR TRAILERSHarold W. Norris, 12-18 Sylvan Ave., Battle Creek, Mich.

Filed June 7, 1960, Ser. No. 34,541

8 Claims. (Cl. 211-74) This invention relates to improvements in gasbottle carrying rack for trailers. The principal objects of thisinvention are: f

First, to provide ,an inexpensive rack for securely clamping a pair ofmetal gas storage bottles on the frame of a mobile home or trailer.

Second, to provide a bottle rack with abase which laterally interlockswith the bases of two gas bottles and with a releasable upper clampwhich grips the upper nec'ks of the bottles to prevent lateral andvertical displacement thereof and which supports gas connections andregulating fixtures for cooperation with the bottles.

Third, to provide a bottle rack in which the gas connections andregulator are supported from the clamp structure which secures the gasbottles to the base of the rack so that separate regulator supportingstructure is unnecessary. v I Other objects and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from a consideration of the followingdescription and claims. The drawings of which there is one sheetillustrating a highly practical form of the bottle rack operativelyinstalled on the tongue or frame of a trailer.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the rack operativelyassociated with a pair of gas bottles.

Portions of the coacting trailer frame are broken away in cross section.V

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view 7 taken along theplane of the line 22 in Fig. 1.

Mobile homes and trailers are commonly supplied with .heating andcooking fuel in the form of liquified petroleum gas which is deliveredin demountable metal tanks called gas bottles and it is common toprovide a supporting and retaining frame or rack on the tongue or frameat the front of the trailer for removably supporting these gas bottles.The drawings illustratethe converging front tongue or frame members 1 ofa trailer with a pair of generally cylindrical gas bottles 2 mountedthereon. The bottles have short cylindrical lower necks 3 and relativelyhigher segmental cylindrical shields 4 which enclose and protect thedetachable connections to the bottles. These bottles with their upperand lower necks are more or less standardized in the compressed gassupply trade and the rack ofthe invention is arranged to cooperate withthese standardized bottles.

The rack consists of generally rectangular base plate 5 havingupstanding front and rear flanges 6 which are notched or cut away towardeach end as at 7 to nestingly and laterally retainingly receive thelower necks 3 of the gas bottles. The base plate 5 is detachably butsecurely anchored to the frame members 1 by means of J books 8 hookedunder the frame members and passed upwardly through holes providedtherefor in the base plate to clamping nuts 9.

Near its center the base plate 5 is provided with an upwardly offsetboss .10 with a central hole therein which passes the shank of a holddown bolt or rod 11. The upper end of the hold down rod has an eye orloop 12 The upper necks 4 of the gas bottles are retainingly engaged andpartially embraced by a pair of clamp bars 15 having oppositelyoutwardly facing channelshaped cross section and having opposed concaveneck-gripping ends 16 connected by spaced parallel center portions 17with holes 18 formed therethrough. One of the clamp bars has a nut 19welded or secured over the hole 18 therein which receives the threadedrear end of an elongated clamp screw 20 passed through the holes 18 andthe eye 12 of the hold down rod. The thrust'washer 21 secured near theforward end of the clamp screw by swaged ears 22 permits the screw 20 todraw the clamp bars 15 tightly against opposite sides of the upper necks4 while the hold down rod 11 prevents upward displacement of the clampbars and the gas bottles. The integral handle end 23 or other suitablehandle on the clamp screw permits manipulation of the screw.

Toward its upper end the hold down rod 11 is provided with thread 24that is projected or extended beyond the adjacent portion of the rod asby being rolled into the body of the rod. The enlarged or projectingcharacter of the thread 24 permits a support nut 25 to be installed onthe hold down rod quickly without threading the full length of the rod.The support nut 25 supports the laterally or horizontally turned foot 26on the lower end of a regulator support plate 27. The hold down boltpasses through a hole 28 in the foot while the clamp screw 20 passesthrough a hole 29 in. the upstanding portion of the regulator plate. Theregulator plate is thus securely supported and restrained againstvertical and lateral displacement in any direction. The upper end of theregulator support plate 27 carries the standardized regulating valve 30and delivery connections 31 of the gas bottle installation. A minimum ofparts thus releasably secures the gas bottles in position and supportthe regulator connections on the frame of the trailer.

What is claimed is new is:

1. A gas bottle rack for trailers comprising a flat base plate withupstanding front and rear flanges, said flanges defining spaced notchessized to retainingly engage lower necks of a pair of gas bottles, meansfor clamping said base plate to the frame of a trailer, an upwardlyoffset boss'in the center of said plate betwen said notches and defininga central hole, a hold down rod extending upwardly through said hole andhaving a retaining nut on its lower end, an eye on the upper end of saidhold down rod, a clamp screw passed through said eye, a pair of clampbars having opposed concave end portions adapted to retainingly gripupper necks-of a pair of gas bottles and having spaced central portionswith holes therein receiving said clamp screw, a nut secured to one ofsaid clamp bars and providing a thread thereon engageable with saidclamp screw, an abutment on said clamp screw coacting with the other ofsaid clamp bars, a regulator support plate having a hole near its lowerend passing said clamp screw, a laterally turned foot on said regulatorplate having a hole therein passing said hold down bolt, a threadedportion near the upper end of said hold down bolt and of larger diameterthan the remainder of the hold down bolt, and a support nut on saidthreaded portion supportingly engaging the underside of said foot.

2. A gas bottle rack for trailers comprising a flat base plate withupstanding front and rear flanges, said flanges defining spaced notchessized to retainingly engage lower necks of a pair of gas bottles abovethe top surface of the plate, means. for clamping said base plate to theframe of a trailer, said plate between said notches defining a centralhole, a hold down rod extending upwardly through said hole and having aretaining nut on its lower end, an eye on the upper end of said holddown rod, a

clamp screw passed through said eye, a pair of clamp bars having opposedconcave end portions adapted to retainingly grip upper necks of a pairof gas bottles seated in said notches and having spaced central portions-w-ith holes therein receiving said clamp screw, :a nut en ing with theother of said clamp bars, :a regulator support plate having a hole nearits lower end ;passing said;clamp screw, a laterally turned foot on saidregulator plate having a hole therein passing said hold down bolt, athreaded portion near the upper end .of said hold down :bolt and oflarger diameter than the remainder oflthe hold down bolt, and a supportnut on said threaded-portion supportingly engaging the underside of saidfoot.

3. A gas bottle rack for trailers comprising a flat base plate withupstanding front and .rear flanges, said .flanges defining spacednotches sized to reltainingly engage slower necks of a pair of gasbottles above the top surface of the plate, means for clampingsaid baseplateto'theframe of a trailer, said plate between said notches defininga central hole, a hold down rod extending upwardly through said hole andhaving a retaining means on its lower end, an eye on the upper end ofsaid hold down rod, a .clamp screw passed through said eye, a pair ofclamp bars having opposed concave end portions adapted to .retaininglygrip upper necks of a pair of gas bottles seated in said notches andhaving spaced central portions with holes therein receiving said clampscrew, a nut engaged with one of said clamp bars and engageable withsaid clamp screw, an abutment on said clamp screw coacting with theother of said clamp bars, a regulator support plate, a laterally turnedfoot on said regulator plate having a hole therein passing said-holddown .bolt, :a threaded portion near the upper end of said hold downbolt, and a support nut on said threaded portion supportinglyengagingthe underside of said foot.

4. A gas bottle rack for trailers comprising a fiat base plate, meansfor clamping said base ,plate :to the frame of a trailer, said plate,defining a central hole, a hold downrod extending upwardly through saidhole and having a retaining means on its lower end, an-eye on the upperend of said hold down rod, a clamp screw passed through said eye, a pairof clamp bars having opposed concave end portions adapted to retaininglygrip upper necks of a pair of gas bottles seated on said plate andhaving spaced central portions with holes therein receiving said clampscrew, said clamp screw coacting with said clamp bars to draw the barstogether, a regulator support plate having a hole near its lower endpassing said clamp screw, a laterally turned foot on said regulatorplate having a hole therein passing said hold down bolt, a threadedportion near the upper end of said hold down bolt, and a support nut onsaid threaded portion :supportingly engaging the underside of said foot.

2,985,810 a r a 5. A gas bottle rack for trailers comprising a flat baseplate, means for clamping said base plate to the frame o a trailer, saidplate defining a central hole, a hold down rod extending upwardlythrough said hole and having a retaining means on its lower end, an eyeon the upper end of said hold down rod, a clamp screw passed throughsaid eye, a pair of clamp bars having opposed concave end portionsvadapted to retainingly grip upper necks of a pair of gas bottles seatedon said plate and having spaced central portions with holes thereinreceiving said clamp screw, said clamp screw coacting with said clampbars to draw the bars together, a regulator support plate, a laterallyturned foot on said regulator plate having a hole therein passing saidhold down bolt, and a support nut on said hold down rod supportinglyengaging the underside of said foot.

6. A gas bottle rack for trailers comprising a base plate havingprojections thereon laterally engageable with the lowerends of a pair ofgas bottles, a pair of clamp :bars having opposed concave endsengageablewith the upper ends of said bottles, screw means engaged between thecentral portions of said clamp bars to draw the .clamp bars together, ahold down rod engaged 'withsaid base plate and having an eye on itsupper end surrounding said screw means, a regulator support bracketvertically interlocked with said screw means and projecting thereaboveand horizontally interlocked with said hold down rod, and a support onsaid hold down rod supporting the lower end of said regulator bracket.

7. A gas bottle rack for trailers comprising abase plate havingprojections thereon laterally engageable with the lower ends of a pairof gas bottles, a pair of clamp bars having opposed concave endsengageable with the upper ends of said bottles, screw means engagedbetween the central portions of said clamp bars to draw the clamp barstogether, a hold down rod engaged with said base plate and having an eyeon its upper end surrounding said screw means, a regulator supportbracket horizontally interlocked with said hold down rod, and a supporton said hold down rod supporting the lower end of said regulatorbracket.

8. A gas bottle rack for trailers comprising a base .plate engageablewith the lower ends of a pairofgas bottles, a pair of clamp bars havingopposed concave ends engageable with the upper ends of said bottles,screw means engaged between the central portionsof said clamp bars todraw the clamp bars together, ,a hold down rod engaged with said baseplateand having an .eye on its upper end surrounding said screw means, aregulator support bracket horizontally interlocked with said hold downrod, and a supporton said hold down rod supporting the lower end of saidregulator bracket. 7

No references cited.

